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10/10/2002 - 5:00 PM PST

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have a grave responsibility to consider the facts carefully, and
with respect for the Church's teaching. But the Church ISN'T unilaterally opposed to
war. If it were, we wouldn't have a Just War theory at all. And here's the rub:
Because there are so many different factors operating here, legitimate disagreement
can arise between thoughtful Catholics as to how the theory should be applied.

In the affairs of public policy, the bishops are operating with no more authority
than the average lay Catholic, and oftentimes with less understanding of the
situation. Twenty years ago, when CRISIS was just getting started, the magazine
objected to a different letter of the bishops -- this time, one that called for full
nuclear disarmament as a response to the Cold War. But it was through the wise
leadership of President Reagan, NOT the opinion of the bishops, that the Cold War
was won in 1989. Where would we be had we followed the advice of the bishops on a
political issue that they barely understood?

In the end, we all have a responsibility to proceed with caution using the Church's
teachings as our guide. Of course, this isn't always easy. In the case of the
current war debate, the bishops have said that an attack on Iraq doesn't meet "the
traditional just war criteria of just cause, right authority, probability of
success, proportionality and noncombatant immunity."

But Catholic scholar George Weigel says that this is a backwards approach to Just
War. There are actually two separate sets of moral criteria that must be met if a
war is just. First, the "ius ad bellum," or "war decision law," must be addressed.
The criteria, as Weigel outlines them, are as follows: "Is the cause a just one?
Will the war be conducted by a responsible public authority? Is there a 'right
intention' (which, among other things, precludes acts of vengeance or reprisal)? Is
the contemplated action 'proportionate:' is it appropriate to the goal (or just
cause); is the good to be accomplished likely to be greater than the evil that would
be suffered if nothing were done, or if the use of armed force were avoided for the
sake of other types of measures? Have other remedies been tried and found wanting or
are other remedies prima facie unlikely to be effective? Is there a reasonable
chance of success?"

Only AFTER these questions are answered positively can one address the "ius in
bello," or "war-conduct" issues. Weigel lists these as including "'proportionality,'
which requires the use of no more force than necessary to vindicate the just cause;
and 'discrimination,' or what we today call 'non-combatant immunity.'"

Weigel explains that, oftentimes, Catholic thinkers have inverted the war-decision
and the war-conduct questions, placing all the emphasis on the latter. However, the
war-conduct questions deal only with our "conduct" in war, as the title implies. It
assumes that we've already "decided" that the war is just, using the war-decision
questions.

Reversing the process -- as some of the bishops have done -- turns the whole thing
on its head.

Another common concern is that a preemptive strike against Iraq goes against the
very foundation of Just War theory, because it would make us the aggressors, and a
Just War is always defensive.

Weigel answers this concern as well by pointing out that "when a vicious regime that
has not hesitated to use chemical weapons against its own people and against a
neighboring country, a regime that has no concept of the rule of law and that
flagrantly violates its international obligations, works feverishly to obtain and
deploy further weapons of mass destruction, I think a compelling moral case can be
made that this is a matter of an 'aggression under way.' ...It surely makes no moral
sense to say that the US or the international community can only respond with armed
force when an Iraqi missile carrying a weapon of mass destruction has been launched,
or is being readied for launch."

In the end, there's still much room for debate. Some scholars think that the Just
War theory must be expanded to meet the needs of the modern world where terrorism
plays an increasingly large role. Others see little need for strict adherence to
Just War principles to begin with. After all, it isn't Church dogma, and therefore
leaves room for interpretation.

But whatever decision you ultimately come to, you can rest assured that faithful
Catholics can hold different opinions on the matter and still remain in line with
Church teaching.

Next week, I meet with top White House officials to discuss the Catholic perspective
on the possibility of war with Iraq. I encourage you to consider the facts carefully
and thoughtfully, and let me know your opinion on the matter so that I can give the
President and his advisers a balanced reflection of Catholic opinion.

I pray that, in the end, our country will come to a just conclusion on the problem
of war in our day.

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